HD Notebook

Decisions made at the farm and processing level make a difference.

When discussing going green, I am not referring to pasture-based dairies or profit. Rather, I’m looking at the processing side of producing and distributing milk. Recently, a friend mentioned she purchased milk in bags. An interesting concept, but I have always preferred to purchase my milk in a carton or jug. Read more

A 16° drop slows bacterial regrowth.

A temperature reduction of 16° F may not seem like a big deal. But, such a reduction, as researchers with Cornell University’s Milk Quality Improvement Program found, could reduce bacterial counts during storage. They shared their results in the January 2011 Journal of Dairy Science. Read more

Costs may dip a little, but they’ll still be painful for buyers.

Alfalfa hay probably won’t be as expensive in 2012 as it was a year ago, but don’t look for anything close to a repeat of the low prices in 2009, according to longtime market analyst Seth Hoyt (pictured here). Read more

For the 82nd Year, readers can test their dairy judging skills

Feed costs range from $8 to $10 per hundredweight.

Net farm incomes are rising in the West, according to reports assembled by Frazer, LLP. However, profits must continue for the foreseeable future in order to recover from the substantial losses that took place during 2008 and 2009. Read more

77 percent of state’s production is now made into nonperishable products

Emerging from the rubble of the dairy industry’s economic collapse in 2009, California milk production is not only bouncing back, but the state is also reinventing itself as a global exporter of products. Read more